Pixar’s latest children’s animated film, “Elemental,” faced a disappointing start at the box office, marking one of the studio’s lowest-performing openings. The movie only managed to bring in $29.5 million in domestic ticket sales during its debut weekend.
What sets this release apart is that “Elemental” represents Pixar’s first original theatrical venture outside of established franchises since the COVID-19 pandemic, avoiding a direct release to streaming platforms, according to The New York Times. Notably, Pixar’s weakest performing film historically was its groundbreaking debut, “Toy Story,” which garnered $29.1 million in 1995.
Forbes highlights some of Pixar’s major successes, with “The Incredibles 2” leading the pack with an impressive $182.7 million opening weekend, followed by “Toy Story 4” at $120.9 million, “Finding Nemo” at $70.3 million, and “Up” at $68.1 million.
“Elemental” revolves around the four fundamental elements of earth, water, fire, and air. The IMDb description reveals that the film takes viewers on a journey alongside Ember and Wade, an unlikely duo living in a city where residents representing these elements coexist. Through their adventures, they discover unexpected commonalities.
Directed by Peter Sohn, renowned for his work on “The Good Dinosaur” (2015), the movie introduces Pixar’s first “non-binary” character named Lake, voiced by the “non-binary” actor Kai Ava Hauser. Hauser expressed their excitement on Twitter, announcing the role and encouraging others to catch the film in theaters.
The New York Times reports that the production budget for “Elemental” amounted to $200 million, making its underwhelming performance a matter of concern. David A. Gross, a film consultant and publisher of a box office newsletter, expressed that the disappointing results were difficult to sugarcoat.
NYT writer Brooks Barnes shed light on industry insiders who have raised questions about Pixar’s future, particularly in light of the lackluster performance of the “Toy Story” spinoff, “Lightyear,” in the previous year. The inclusion of a same-sex kiss in that film also received significant attention. Another Pixar film, “Onward,” which prominently featured a gay character, also struggled at the box office, earning $39.1 million during its opening weekend in 2020.
Barnes speculated that the underperformance of “Elemental” could be attributed to audience hesitancy in returning to theaters or the fact that it represents Pixar’s first original production unrelated to existing franchises since the pandemic. He further noted that audiences have grown accustomed to the convenience of waiting a few weeks for films to become available on streaming services.
Pete Docter, Pixar’s chief creative officer, acknowledged during an interview with Variety that audiences have developed certain expectations regarding film availability on Disney+. Nevertheless, he emphasized the unique experience of watching movies on the big screen, urging viewers to recognize the significant elements they might miss by not experiencing films like “Elemental” in theaters.